Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 14 / Trend, K. Zarbaliyeva /
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is considering the opportunity of holding a meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian communities to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Deputy Speaker Bahar Muradova said at a press conference in the Azerbaijani Parliament on Friday.
She said that she addressed the OSCE PA and discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and proposed to organize a meeting between the communities. Muradova stressed, however, that the OSCE PA must not only discuss. It is necessary to hold a meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani communities as an important step in conflict settlement and confidence between the parties.
The meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities must be held in Baku, as both sides are Azerbaijani citizens, Muradova said.
"If we fail to agree on a meeting in Baku, it can take place on neutral territory, for example, in Vienna," she said. "The issues of trust between the communities, their living together and issues of security may be discussed at such a meeting."
Muradova stressed that her speech in the OSCE PA was appreciated.
OSCE Special Representative for the South Caucasus Joao Soares will visit the region in November or in January, Muradova said. The talks about holding a meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian communities will be held during the visit of the special envoy.
The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh was discussed at the Saturday session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.